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Brainstorm!: The Stories of Twenty American Kid Inventors
Inspiring young inventors, from ages 5 to 19
Of the thousands of inventions filed each year since 1790 with the United States Patent Office, some have come from enterprising kids, and not just those who have grown up to be famous adult inventors. Here are the stories of twenty ingenious young Americans. Among them are Chester Greenwood, creator of ear muffs; Ralph Samuelson, originator of water-skiing; Vanessa Hess and her colored car wax; and Jerrald Spencer, whose electronic gizmo has made a line of toys so popular that over five million of them have been sold!
Of the thousands of inventions filed each year since 1790 with the United States Patent Office, some have come from enterprising kids, and not just those who have grown up to be famous adult inventors. Here are the stories of twenty ingenious young Americans. Among them are Chester Greenwood, creator of ear muffs; Ralph Samuelson, originator of water-skiing; Vanessa Hess and her colored car wax; and Jerrald Spencer, whose electronic gizmo has made a line of toys so popular that over five million of them have been sold!
- GenresScience
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 1995
2 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 31, 2016
Did not find the writing very engaging- more details than I wanted on some things- so did "selective reading." 1/2 way through the book realized it was printed in 1995, which gave me some perspective.
September 23, 2020
This was an enjoyable, informative and inspiring quick read. Excellent book for kids but also for adults!
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April 23, 2013Book: Tucker, T. (1998). Brainstorm!: The stories of twenty american kid inventors. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Reviewed by: Christie Jones
Type of Reference: Handbook
Call Number : REF 608 T891 1998
Content/Scope: A collection of short biographies featuring kid inventors, focusing on what they invented and how it came to be. Each chapter focuses on a child and his or her inventions. The inventors are from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
Accuracy/Authority/Bias: This was Tom Tucker’s first book and he wrote this to highlight kid inventors and inspire others to be just like them. From the School Library Journal, Brainstorm features young inventors from colonial to modern times and includes women and minorities. The ideas range from a safety device for power looms to the Popsicle, invented by an 11-year-old boy in 1905. Many inventors in this book started their careers as children and some held patents while still in their teens. Others did not receive their first patent until they were older and were able to raise the money necessary to fund the patenting process. The last chapter explains that process and gives advice on ways to save money on searches. Black-and-white photographs and pen-and-ink drawings show the inventor and/or their inventions. A useful book for encouraging self-expression and the creative process. Margaret M. Hagel, Norfolk Public Library System, VA.
Arrangement/Presentation: The book is easy to navigate and appropriate for elementary/middle school students, as each chapter highlights a child and his or her invention and includes illustrations.
Relation to other works: This book was published in 1998; however, the inventions are all part of history and information the students may not be aware of. This book should inspire and spark creativity amongst its readers. The school where I did my field experience is primarily focusing on PLTW and STEAM and this book fits into that category.
Accessibility/Diversity: This book reaches out to all student populations. The inventors in the book come from a diverse population and will appeal to all students.
Costs: The book can be found for under $8.00
Professional Review:
Book List Review. Veeder, Mary H. (August 1995) Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com.libsrv....
Reviewed by: Christie Jones
Type of Reference: Handbook
Call Number : REF 608 T891 1998
Content/Scope: A collection of short biographies featuring kid inventors, focusing on what they invented and how it came to be. Each chapter focuses on a child and his or her inventions. The inventors are from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
Accuracy/Authority/Bias: This was Tom Tucker’s first book and he wrote this to highlight kid inventors and inspire others to be just like them. From the School Library Journal, Brainstorm features young inventors from colonial to modern times and includes women and minorities. The ideas range from a safety device for power looms to the Popsicle, invented by an 11-year-old boy in 1905. Many inventors in this book started their careers as children and some held patents while still in their teens. Others did not receive their first patent until they were older and were able to raise the money necessary to fund the patenting process. The last chapter explains that process and gives advice on ways to save money on searches. Black-and-white photographs and pen-and-ink drawings show the inventor and/or their inventions. A useful book for encouraging self-expression and the creative process. Margaret M. Hagel, Norfolk Public Library System, VA.
Arrangement/Presentation: The book is easy to navigate and appropriate for elementary/middle school students, as each chapter highlights a child and his or her invention and includes illustrations.
Relation to other works: This book was published in 1998; however, the inventions are all part of history and information the students may not be aware of. This book should inspire and spark creativity amongst its readers. The school where I did my field experience is primarily focusing on PLTW and STEAM and this book fits into that category.
Accessibility/Diversity: This book reaches out to all student populations. The inventors in the book come from a diverse population and will appeal to all students.
Costs: The book can be found for under $8.00
Professional Review:
Book List Review. Veeder, Mary H. (August 1995) Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com.libsrv....
September 22, 2010
Reason for Reading: Came with our history curriculum. Read aloud to my ds, a biography at a time over a period of time.
A collection of short biographies featuring kid inventors, focusing on what they invented and how it came to be. Includes such inventions as earmuffs, coloured car wax, the Popsicle, water skis, resealable cereal box tops and others.
Neither of us was particularly thrilled with this book. The inventions I've mentioned above were the ones that ds enjoyed most. A lot of the other inventions were things he couldn't care less about like tufted bedspreads or couldn't relate to such as the rotary steam engine. Ds was keen when I started reading a story about a real kid (an 8yo or a 13yo) but some of these bios are about 17 or 18 year old's and that is pushing it a bit for a 10yo to consider a kid. Then some bios often were about how the inventor got the idea as a kid but didn't bring it to fruition until they were an adult which I think is cheating in regards to the title of the book. Also any mechanical or engineering inventions such as the electrical TV and the rotary steam engine were very detailed with scientific specifics which made the 10 yo's eyes glaze over. By the time we got to the last 5 stories he was begging me not to read the book anymore so I read them quickly in bed one night to if they were worth trudging through and I couldn't find any reason he needed to hear them so we ended the read-aloud there. I wouldn't recommend the book.
A collection of short biographies featuring kid inventors, focusing on what they invented and how it came to be. Includes such inventions as earmuffs, coloured car wax, the Popsicle, water skis, resealable cereal box tops and others.
Neither of us was particularly thrilled with this book. The inventions I've mentioned above were the ones that ds enjoyed most. A lot of the other inventions were things he couldn't care less about like tufted bedspreads or couldn't relate to such as the rotary steam engine. Ds was keen when I started reading a story about a real kid (an 8yo or a 13yo) but some of these bios are about 17 or 18 year old's and that is pushing it a bit for a 10yo to consider a kid. Then some bios often were about how the inventor got the idea as a kid but didn't bring it to fruition until they were an adult which I think is cheating in regards to the title of the book. Also any mechanical or engineering inventions such as the electrical TV and the rotary steam engine were very detailed with scientific specifics which made the 10 yo's eyes glaze over. By the time we got to the last 5 stories he was begging me not to read the book anymore so I read them quickly in bed one night to if they were worth trudging through and I couldn't find any reason he needed to hear them so we ended the read-aloud there. I wouldn't recommend the book.
April 22, 2010
Bubs and I loved this book of short stories about kid inventors. It inspired us to make our own inventions.
January 5, 2012
An inspiring book for kids to read! What great ideas these kids have had.
May 1, 2015
good book of inventions by little kids!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews